On June 26th, the LPGA and Dow put a new marker down with the Dow Impact Award, an honor that recognizes players not just for the tournament trophies they collect but for the reach of their work away from the tour.
The inaugural nominees reflect both competitive success and leadership in their communities.
From this group, a committee will cut the list to two finalists on October 7th. Fans will then get their say with open voting, combining with the committee's input to decide the first winner on November 6th. The top award comes with $25,000 and a matching donation to the player's chosen charity, while the runner-up receives $10,000. The money matters, but the real weight here is in giving players a louder microphone for the causes they care about. (Fingers crossed we get a good batch of shots with Mascot Champ, and if there's a little dancing involved, all the better.)
For their part, Dow has been involved with the LPGA since 2018, backing projects like Celebrating the Green and helping the Dow Championship become the first professional event to earn GEO Certified® Tournament status. This award feels like the next logical step—less about branding, more about pointing out where values and action line up in the women's game.
Carlos Padilla II, the Vice President of Global Sports Marketing at Dow, said, "These athletes see obstacles as opportunities and understand the responsibility to leave the world better than they found it."
The full nominee stories are posted at Celebrating the Green, and that's also where voting opens on October 7th.